No. 7 Portland made most of a Merlo Field crowd of 2,366 stick around until the final minutes to get the result they had hoped to see Saturday night.

The patient Pilots wore down Seattle, then struck during the 78th minute on Danica Evans close-range goal to break up a scoreless tie on the way to a 2-0 win in a first-round NCAA women’s soccer playoff game.

Portland (17-2-1) advances to the second round, where it faces Illinois next Friday in Lincoln, Neb. Illinois defeated Washington State on penalty kicks to earn a shot at the Pilots.

Portland controlled the majority of the game, but the Redhawks (17-3-2) were willing to let the Pilots keep possession as long as it didn’t result in a goal. It worked well into the second half, as Portland had only a handful of shots through 75 minutes.

“They’re a team that’s going to sit back on us. We’re a possession-style team. We had the majority of the possessions, and I knew the opportunities were going to come,” said Portland defender Amanda Frisbie, who sealed the win with a penalty kick during the 89th minute.

Eventually the dam broke, when freshman Ellie Boon shot a pass across the goalmouth to Evans, who poked a six-yard shot past Seattle goalie Brianna Smallridge.

Anyone surprised that Portland took so long to score hasn’t watched these Pilots. Their game is to work over opponents with a quick passing possession game, and often the result is a big second half. Of Portland’ 40 goals this season, 27 have come after halftime.

“We play a style to break down teams,” Portland coach Garrett Smith said. “You just wear on team. When they don’t have the ball as much as maybe they’re used to during the season, eventually they get tired of chasing, and that’s where the big gains are won.”

Frisbie claimed the Pilots often see these defensive tactics, and said they were never concerned, even when the score was 0-0 with 15 minutes remaining.

“If we have the ball, they don’t have the ball so it makes it easier on us. It’s not a hard thing to do,” Frisbie said.

Smith felt what was lost in the blizzard of Portland’s passes at its offensive end was a defensive performance that stymied Seattle. The Redhawks came into Saturday with a 15-game winning streak, and scored 57 goals during the regular season.

Seattle managed just three shots against the Pilots, only one requiring a save from goalie Erin Dees. Whenever the Redhawks stole a pass and started a counter attack, Portland’s defense quickly shut it down.

“I think everyone’s expecting a lot more from us, and thought they were just sitting back, but the effort we gave defensively was awesome,” Smith said. “Our back line and our midfield were digging out a lot of things all game long, so whatever they tried to create didn’t amount to anything.”

Once Portland took a 1-0 lead, the game opened up. The Pilots were able to add an insurance goal on Frisbie’s penalty kick after Micaela Capelle was fouled in the penalty box.

“We always want to score as many goals as we can, but this is the playoffs, and one goal is all we need to win,” Frisbie said.

Portland likely played its final home game of the season. Should the Pilots beat Illinois, they’ll face the Nebraska-Boston College winner on Nov. 24 in Lincoln.